A New Reality
by krissyashleigh
Summary: HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY ANGELAUTHOR14! :
1. Reflections of Remus Lupin

**A New Reality  
**by ParallelTogether

Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not making any money off this. I don't intend to offend anyone in any way. If I'm doing anything illegal, I honestly don't know what it would be.

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"**This just isn't the way things are supposed to be."**

Remus Lupin was generally classified as a kind, caring individual whose love of books was only exceeded by his sense of duty towards his friends. Knowing this, it was only reasonable for him to be grieving. Even though it had been years since Lily and James died, he still felt as guilty about it as he had the day he heard the news. What if he had been the secret-keeper, instead of Sirius? Would James and Lily still be alive today, still taking care of their baby boy?

Oh, Harry…

Remus remembered all too well Harry's current situation. The six-year-old boy was currently living with Lily's sister and her husband, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. He recalled a conversation he had had with Lily a year or so before her death about what horrible people they were.

"They're terrible people, Remus," she had said. "Back in my seventh year of Hogwarts, me and Petty had been great friends. And then, the Dursleys moved in across the street. Petty, being the nosy neighbor that she was, volunteered to take over the Lemon Meringue Pie mom had baked them as a housewarming gift herself. I remember Vernon, a great big pig of a boy, had answered the door, taken the pie and left Petty standing there on the porch, looking like a complete idiot. Oddly enough, he had her infatuated. Every day she'd go over to the Dursleys to see Vernon, to talk to him even if it was just for a second…soon enough, Vernon took pity on her and they started to date. He didn't even like her, Remus; he just took her in because he had nothing else to do. Petty must've realized that he'd never love her like she wanted, but it had come too late; they'd been married ever since Petty graduated. I guess knowing she was stuck with him turned her so cold…and of course Vernon was just as vile and condescending as when I met him. Now I don't even recognize my sister because of what Vernon turned her into. She resents me and James because of the love we share, and for that I pity her. But I can't forgive her for all the cruel words and actions she's taken against me. I just can't."

What kind of people were Lily and James son with? Remus realized he had to do something about this; Harry was the only link to his parents that the man had left, and he wasn't about to let the boy come into harm's way. Maybe Dumbledore would be willing to help him.

--/--/- -/--/--

Albus Dumbledore was an incredibly busy man. He helped the Minister with his many duties (the man was a complete imbecile and couldn't do a thing on his own), managed a secret group called the Order of the Phoenix, took care of his school and all of its inhabitants, and was a member of the Wizengamot, not mentioning all of his other duties to the public. How he managed to find time to sit in his office sucking on Lemon Drops was a mystery even to him. During one such occasion, Albus looked up from his pile of deliciously yellow candies to find Remus Lupin, one of his favorite old students.

"Remus, my dear boy. What brings you to Hogwarts?"

"Professor Dumbledore…ever since Lily and James died, I've been feeling incredibly guilty. I can't help but feel like I need to do something, anything, to make up what happened to my two friends. I've been thinking about what's happened to Harry after his parents death, and even though I know you think it's best for him…I think the Dursley family is the worst thing for Harry right now. What Harry must think of his family, only knowing the characters of Vernon and Petunia. He's six years old, I understand. But shouldn't he have someone that loves and cares for him while he's growing up, especially after the horror he's gone through already? I feel that I could do so much better for Harry than his relatives do, and I would do absolutely anything to be able to prove that to you. Sir, I'm begging you…I need Harry just as much as he needs me."

Albus mulled it over for a while, a soft smile on his lips. He knew all too well the sort of treatment the boy was experiencing at the Dursley residence, having dropped in a few times himself to check up on the child. The headmaster could see Remus raising Harry to be a caring, hard-working young man. Maybe he could rectify the situation he had put both his boys in.

"Are you sure about this? Do you really feel capable enough to raise a six-year-old emotionally scarred boy?"

Remus dropped to his knees.

"Dumbledore…I know I can do this, I know it. Just give me the chance, and-"

Albus smiled. "You have your chance, Remus. On one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You must raise him here, within the safety wards of Hogwarts. The only reason Harry is placed with the Dursleys is because of his mother's blood protection. As you know, Petunia is Harry's only living relative on his mother's side; the protection flows through her, and keeps Harry as safe as possible. I believe the wards of Hogwarts can protect the boy just as strongly, but when Harry needed to be taken care of, there was no one here that would've had enough time or energy to be with him as he required. If you agree to live with Harry here, then I will concede to having him placed under your care from now on."

Remus gave the man a huge smile and grasped the corner of the desk. "I won't let you down, Professor; I wouldn't dream of it."

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Alright, next chapter we go see Harry. Sound fun?


	2. Escape From the Dursleys

**Harry James Potter – A New Reality**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not making any money off this. I don't intend to offend anyone in any way. If I'm doing anything illegal, I honestly don't know what it would be.

Chapter Two –

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"Aghh, you people! Petty, Petty, come quickly!"

Remus was quite offended, but Dumbledore motioned for him to stay quiet. He heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, getting louder until he was looking into the horrid face of Petunia Evans-Dursley. Once he realized that Dumbledore and himself were about to have the door slammed on their noses, he reached out and held the door open.

"We aren't leaving, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Either open the door and let us in, or we'll stay out on your driveway all night."

Petunia panicked at the thought of the two oddly dressed men standing out there, on HER lawn no less, for all the neighbors to see. She quickly ushered them inside.

The Dursley residence was of fairly decent size, nicely decorated and sparkling clean. The living room held a big screen TV almost twice the size of Dudley (an impressive feat for any object), a couple cream-colored sofas, and a luxurious mauve armchair. Remus felt a little uncomfortable being in a house so perfect.

The Dursleys gestured the pair towards the nearest sofa, where they sat down thankfully; both wizards had lost more than a little sleep over the excitement of bringing Harry to Hogwarts. Remus had gone crazy with anticipation, decorating his and Harry's new living quarters, making sure the little boy had everything any child could want, and planning out this exact moment. The man couldn't wait to see the little boy; it had been so long since they'd been together, did Harry even remember him? Remus supposed not, after all, Harry had only been a year old. But maybe, just maybe, he had a little recollection…?

The werewolf was brought out of his thoughts by Dumbledore's gentle voice, starting to explain to the Dursley family what it was exactly that they wanted.

"…a long time with Harry, something the wizarding world will be forever thankful for. You've taken our hero in and cared for him like your own family, even though he was not. Now, Remus, here, and I know how much of a financial and emotional burden children can be…and hopefully, you will let us relieve you of such struggles. Harry is dear to both of our hearts, and we love and care for him very much. The opportunity has arisen for Harry to be brought up in the Wizarding World, while at the same time being loved and cared for. Remus Lupin, the spectacular man sitting next to me, is fully capable of raising young Harry the rest of the way. It is our hope that you will allow such an opportunity for young Harry, to let the boy become the permanent charge of dear Remus. Of course, you may still visit the boy any time you like, and spend as long a time with him as possible, for you are his only blood relatives and I imagine are quite close. But I believe it is in all of our best interests to let Harry blossom and become who he was meant to be, to expand his horizons and enter the world his parents loved so much. Harry Potter is a magical boy, wizard or not; and I would hate to see him lose such a vital part of himself."

Remus narrowed his eyes at the jaw-cracking smiles on the Dursleys' faces. Were they really that eager to rid themselves of James and Lily's son?

"Ah, we- we accept! We, ah – we know how…important it is for the bo- for Harry, to be..himself. We wouldn't want to take him away from that. When do you want him to leave with you?"

Dumbledore smiled. He had known that the Dursleys would be more than eager to get rid of Harry, judging by the many accounts of her sister than Lily had given Remus. Albus had figured that playing dumb had been the best back when Harry had no other options, but now, the boy was free of his horrible relatives and back where he belonged.

"I believe any time would be sufficient, Remus? Yes, yes, we could even take him with us right now."

"Yes! And, uh, we wouldn't want to get in the way of his, uh, growth- so it's not necessary for us to visit with him."

"How generous, Mr. Dursley. And might I ask where our young Harry might be?"

Petunia jumped up suddenly, as if she had been sitting on a stinger.

"Oh! Oh, ah – I'll, go get him. Get him right now."

The woman hurried from the room and into the hallway, shouting, "Come out, Harry! We need to talk to you!"

Seeing Harry come out of a small cupboard was a very peculiar and overwhelming experience for Remus. Why was the boy in the cupboard? Had he gotten in trouble? Was he a bad little boy? Secondly, what would Harry say to coming to live with Remus? How would he react to magic? Lupin knew the Dursleys hadn't informed Harry of what he was, after spying on the couple for a while. He didn't feel the slightest bit guilty for it, either.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia?"

How Remus wanted to scoop the boy up and cradle him in his arms, but he didn't; he restrained himself from scaring little Harry just yet. They needed to inform Harry of what was going to happen and who he was before any of that.

"Ah, Ha- Harry," Vernon stuttered, as if it was unusual for him to say, "these two men here are…friends, of your parents. They've come to ask if you would like to, ah, live with them."

Harry pulled a puzzled face. Remus rolled his eyes; great, Dursley had screwed his whole explanation up. But he smiled and started to speak.

"Harry, my name is Remus, Remus Lupin. I was very, very close to your mum and dad, and I've come to see if you'd like to live with me. I know you don't know me. I know you might be frightened, but I assure you, I knew you as a little baby and saw you almost as much as your own parents did. It's your own choice, and I fully understand if you don't want-"

"Are you mad!"

Remus's stomach dropped, thinking Harry was going to fully reject his offer. But instead, Harry said, "Sorry, I just, I think that'd be wicked, sir. Really. When do we leave?"

Remus was surprised. He had hoped for the boy to warm up to him, but this quickly was a little disconcerting. Why was he so eager to leave?

"Ah, we can leave right now if you would like –"

"Really? I suppose I'll go pack my things, then…"

And Harry zoomed out of the room.

Albus chuckled, saying "What an enthusiastic little boy."

A little too enthusiastic, if you asked Remus Lupin. As he considered just why the boy wanted to leave so soon, Harry bounded down the stairs, carrying an extremely light bag and an extra pair of trainers.

"Alright, Mr. Remoose, sir. I'm ready to go now."

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Review, review, review!!

They're the only thing that make me strive to continue this story, besides the fact that I find Harry Potter so awesome and all.

Sorry if the characters seem too American; tell me if I've made any insanely bad mistakes and I'll go and correct them.

And I apologize for not updating sooner, but I just have a LOT of school work to deal with and unfortunately, it has to come first. I'll try to get the third chapter out faster; not making any promises.

If you read, please review. Also, I'm in need of a beta-reader, so if you think you're any good/you know someone who is, please send me a message. Thanks!


	3. Arrival to Hogwarts

A New Reality by ParallelTogether

A New Reality by ParallelTogether

Disclaimer – I don't own the Harry Potter series, nor will I ever. Don't sue me please. :)

Sorry I've been gone for so long everyone, I've had writers block, school, friends and birthdays, etc etc. I'll TRY to get back in the game. :)

Chapter Three –

"Remus," Dumbledore whispered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he stood next to his former student. "I don't believe young Harry knows about our world- or who he is within it. It is your call of course, as you are his guardian. But I believe the boy should be told everything before too long."

Ah, yes. Of course Harry wouldn't know his past, as the Dursleys hated it passionately. Remus hadn't considered what to tell the boy in this situation, instead spending his time imagining all the fun he and Harry would have together. What should he say?

Dumbledore coughed, bringing Remus to attention.

"Ah, Albus…I hadn't considered exactly what to tell Harry in this situation. Do you think you could…?"

Albus laughed. "I understand, Remus. I will help you tell Harry. Now, let's get the boy back to Hogwarts before he changes his mind!"

With another hearty laugh, Dumbledore motioned Harry towards them. The trio said their goodbyes to the Dursley family and walked out the front door, towards the car Dumbledore had enlisted Kingsley Shacklebolt to drive for him. The man had owed him a favor, and had been more than happy to repay it.

"So Kingsley," Remus laughed as they settled into the back seats. "How'd you come to know how to drive a muggle car? It's a bit fascinating to me, really, seeing you behind the steering wheel."

Kinsley chuckled in his deep, loud tone. "On an auror mission actually. Had to chase a particularly crazy gypsy in a mini van!"

Harry, seated in the middle of Dumbledore and Remus, yanked on the younger adult's sleeve.

"Mr Remus?"

Remus looked down at the boy, trying to appear comforting. "Yes Harry?"

"What's a…muggle, sir? And what's an auror?"

Oops.

"Well, Harry, an auror is kind of like a police man where we're from."

"And a muggle, sir?"

Remus sighed and looked towards Dumbledore.

"Alright, Harry," Remus began. "What do you know about what happened…before you came to live with the Dursleys?"

"Nothing particular, sir," Harry shrugged. "Vernon told me that my parents were drunks with no jobs and no place to live. They died in a car crash when I was little and my aunt and uncle had to take me in."

Silence took over the car. Harry squirmed. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to."

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke. "Your parents were not drunks, nor bums, nor anything of that sort. They were respectable, good people with the best intentions and biggest love in their hearts for you."

"But…why would they lie to me about that?"

Remus took over. "You see Harry, your mother and your aunt never really got along too much. Petunia and Lily were very different women, and they never were able to reconcile their differences. Petty though it may be, your aunt still holds that grudge, and I'm afraid she took it out on her sister's only legacy."

Harry looked a little shell-shocked. "But, sir, if she lied about that, then why did they have to take me in?"

"Your parents weren't killed in a car crash, Harry. They were killed by a bad, bad man, someone more terrible than I hope you ever have to face."

"Killed? But...why?"

Remus paused. "Your parents had something that this man wanted…and they wouldn't give it up, not for the world. So he went and made sure they couldn't refuse him any longer."

"What did they have? What was his name? Why didn't-"

Albus cleared his throat. "I'm afraid the rest of this conversation will have to take place in my office, boys. We're on the edge of the grounds."

Harry blushed, embarassed to realize how fast he was talking and how demanding he had been.

Remus furrowed his brow, but realized a second later that Dumbledore had charmed the car to move faster than should be possible. He laughed quietly – Dumbledore sure was a tricky blighter.

The foursome stepped out of the car and onto the lustrious grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed, craning his neck to see the full view of the castle. "This is where I live now, sir?"

Everyone laughed. "Yeah it is, Harry, unless you want to go back."

"Never sir, this is amazing!"

They walked across the grounds towards the castle, Shacklebolt a little behind them. You could never be too safe, even at Hogwarts. Dumbledore didn't believe that Voldemort had completely vanished the night Harry's parents died, and wanted the boy to be completely safe 24/7.

"Alright, so we should probably be properly introduced, shouldn't we?" Shacklebolt boomed.

"You're right Kingsley, I completely forgot," Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes. Harry, my name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, but you can call me anything you like. With the exception of various unflattering words, of course." He winked.

"And I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, an auror for the Ministry Of-"

Remus cut him off abruptly on the word 'magic', introducing himself. "I'm Remus Lupin, of course. You can call me Moony, as that's my most frequently used nickname." He didn't tell Harry the real reason he wanted to be called Moony – it was the only way he could remember his days as a marauder.

Harry smiled shyly. "I'm just Harry, nice to meet you all."

Even Kingsley laughed at that. The foursome had reached the castle doors and Dumbledore held his hand up in front of them before anyone could enter.

"Harry, some things you're about to see are going to seem incredibly strange to you, but I ask you not to question them until we reach my office."

"Yes sir, I promise not to ask about anything."

"Alrighty then, let's continue!"

And they stepped through Hogwarts doors.

--

Review, review, review!

Okay, and I've decided to just skip the whole beta reader thing…I'm way too unpredictable to have someone else depend on me to send them chapters

I promise to update though, so send in your comments and criticism!


	4. You're A Wizard, Harry

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A New Reality by ParallelTogether

A New Reality by ParallelTogether

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter, never will, yada yadda yada.

_words words words – _thoughts.

"words words words" – speech.

* * *

_Ooooh…_

Harry Potter had just entered Hogwarts castle for the first time, and was quite amazed, to say the least. He had many questions, but remembered the old gray man's warning and 'zipped his lips.'

_Bloody Hell!_

Harry had looked up into the great hall to see the beautiful, cloudless and sunny sky charmed into the ceiling. Inwardly he rebuked himself for his foul language, a habit he had unfortunately picked up from Dudley and his gang. Although he was but six years old, he had an extensive knowledge of vulgarities, having had them hurled at him by his peers on a daily basis. He shuddered to himself, thinking of the daily 'Harry Hunting's' Dudley's crew insisted upon. Usually he came out the winner, being a fairly excellent runner. But sometimes he was caught, usually by Piers Polkiss, and beaten into submission while being screamed at for no particular reason. Harry realized he never had to go through another hunt again, suddenly, and smiled.

_This castle is enormous…almost as big as our whole neighborhood! I don't think they'll make me sleep in a cupboard here..._

Harry hadn't really thought much about leaving the Dursley household so abruptly; the only thing he wanted was to get away, and fast. The two men looked nice enough, if a little strange…and nothing could be worse than living with the Dursley family. The younger man, Ray-moose, or something weird like that…had said he was a friend of Harry's parents. Harry had never really known the two, as his aunt and uncle held a particular disdain for anything concerning Harry's parents and refused to talk about them at all in their 'normal' household. Pretending he wasn't hurt by his relatives' actions, Harry focused instead on his surroundings, making sure to remember (or at least try) what path they were taking.

"All right, young one. You may ask your questions now."

Harry's eyes bugged as they reached the top of the winding stairs and arrived into a very large, very _strange _office…or something like that. Curious objects, ranging in size, color, shape, and volume, covered almost all of the room, save the portraits on the walls, the desk in the middle of the floor, and the black stand Harry could only assume was a bird's perch. He gasped as he realized he had been correct; a large, crimson-colored bird appeared in a burst of flames and sat upon the perch, caw-ing at Harry curiously. Harry's eyes widened and he looked at the wizened old man to his left.

"Ah, I'm presuming Fawkes is your first question?"

Harry nodded.

"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes are very rare, very impressive birds with amazing talents, such as the fire transport you just witnessed. You will probably never see another phoenix in your lifetime, as it is almost unheard of to see one at all. Fawkes came into my possession after a long journey I took through the Forest of Gamar…I had been on the journey for quite some time when I found him, perching on a high branch in an olive tree, singing a phoenix song. He followed me back to my home, and has been my companion ever since."

"Oh," Harry said softly. "He's very pretty."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, yes he is at that. Why don't you go introduce yourself? Fawkes looks a bit curious as to who you are."

Harry walked over to the magnificent bird perched next to Dumbledore's desk and said softly, "Hello Fawkes. My name is Harry Potter. You're very pretty."

Fawkes let out a chirp and flew onto Harry's shoulder, making the little boy giggle in delight.

"Ah, I see he's taken a liking to you!" Dumbledore grinned. "You may come see him any time you wish."

Harry grinned in gratitude at the man before turning back to stroking the bird in front of him. "Sir," he began, "why did you come get me? I mean, I'm glad you did, very glad, sir. But why-"

Remus answered. "Harry, I know this is strange for you. I must admit, it's a little odd for all of us. You see, Harry, after what..happened when you were a baby, no one was prepared for the enormous task to raise a child except for your aunt and uncle. We thought that you would grow up loved and adored in their household, being told all about your parents and cherished like their own son. We were wrong. But by the time we had realized this, you were already six, and the damage was done. I hope you know, Harry, that you were not treated so dismally because no one loved you- the opposite is true. We all cared for you so much that we wanted the best for you, and we thought the Dursley family could provide that whereas we could not."

"I understand, Mr. Remoose."

Remus chuckled. "Just call me Moony, Harry."

"Okay, Moony... What did you mean earlier, if you don't mind me asking? You said an auror is like a policeman in your world. Why do you have a different world, sir?"

Remus paused. How was he even supposed to begin to explain the wizarding world to a six-year-old child? Especially the child who was the famous boy-who-lived? Seeing the younger man's confusion, Dumbledore cleared his throat and began his explanation to the little boy.

"Harry…have you ever done something you couldn't explain? Ever made something happen when it should have been impossible, possibly when you were particularly angry or scared?"

Harry could recall dozens of times he'd had strange things happen while he was in a particularly strong mood, but he didn't want the two men to think he was a freak…so he shrugged his shoulders.

Dumbledore smiled softly. "Harry, it's completely normal. What you've done is something only some people can do. Do you know what magic is, Harry?"

Harry's eyes widened as he slowly nodded. "But…are you saying…I'm a-"

"You're a wizard, Harry."

A/N: Hii everyone. :) I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not. I was trying to clear up the confusion as to why Harry was so trusting. See, I imagined Harry to be an impressionable little boy who was only looking to be loved. He only saw how kind Dumbledore and Remus were, versus how cold and mean the Dursleys were, and picked which option he thought was better. I mean, he's only six. He doesn't know any better.

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, you're really keeping me going. I hope everyone who reads this puts in their imput at least once. Tell me what YOU would like to see happen in this story. I could make it completely AU or I could stick to what happens in the books with minor changes. All depends on what you think would fit. :) Alright, now press that little blue button and tell me what you think!


	5. Fainting, Feasting and Foes

Disclaimer – Yeah, yeah, yeah…not my story. –pout-

A/N : Alright, so you guys are getting another chapter super soon because I'm in a writing mood tonight. I'm taking the reviews I received the first couple of hours after I posted chapter four and trying to work them into the story. Based on the reviews I got, I think I'm going to stick with the book SOME of the time, and go off into my own little Harry Potter Dream Land whenever I feel like it. :D

Another question for everyone to think about…should I continue through Harry's whole Hogwarts life? Should I stop during his first, second, third…etc. years? You decide. If you guys want me to go until he dies, I'll do it, you'll just have to stick it out and wait a long time for the story to be finished haha. Alright, so give me your input and I'll work it in. Also, if anyone else has any plot ideas they'd REALLY like to see, I'd be glad to listen, just like I'm listening to Furwing Silverclaw. :) Alright, enough of my dumb authors notes. I know all you're here for is the story!

Chapter Five

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Perhaps he hadn't been completely tactful when he'd introduced Harry to the Wizarding Community. In retrospect, he hadn't honestly thought the boy would faint when he found out about the whole thing…but now, he could see why. After all, Harry's aunt and uncle had always stayed clear of anything they considered 'abnormal', and it was about as far from the Dursley's version of normal as you could get to be a wizard. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that when the boy was fully conscious. As he stared at the boy unconscious in front of him, he suddenly felt unsure of his actions during the past few weeks. Were he and Remus doing the right thing by the boy, taking him away from the only home he'd ever known and placing him in a world he'd thought was pure fiction?

Yes, he answered himself, and lifted the boy off the ground and into a comfy arm chair in his office. Harry was destined to be a wizard, he could feel it in his very bones. Not just because the boy had survived the impossible as a baby, no. Albus knew Harry was special besides his lucky past. The boy was talented, the wizard knew. And he had looked as if he loved everything about Hogwarts Castle as they had walked up to his office. No, Harry had only fainted because he was excited. Yes, yes, that's right. That's completely –

"Unnnnghhhhh…oh no. What happened?"

Albus stopped his inward commentary patted the boy softly on the shoulder. "Harry, you fainted, my boy. I'm afraid I put a little shock through your system."

"Oh yeah," Harry said suddenly. "You told me I was a wizard…but sir, I can't be a wizard. I'm nothing special, I'm...I'm just Harry! Just Harry Potter!"

"I suppose you need to see it to believe it, then," Remus laughed. "Alright, kip up and watch closely."

Harry, to be completely honest, thought the two were completely off their rockers, but he humored the man nevertheless and payed attention.

"Alright, Harry, I'm going to turn this quill into a pitcher full of pumpkin juice. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded, and suddenly, the quill on Dumbledore's desk was instead a pitcher of pumpkin juice! Clearing his eyes and hoping he was just seeing things, Harry was amazed to see that the pitcher of pumpkin juice was, indeed, still there, sitting where the quill had been just moments ago.

"How'd you do that!"

Remus laughed. "Do you believe me now, Harry?"

"I think so, sir! That was brilliant!"

Harry, Dumbledore, and Moony walked down to the Great Hall, Harry asking random questions all the while. They'd covered why the paintings moved and talked, what house elves were, how to use and buy a wand, what Hogwarts taught (besides just general magic), the four houses, what made the ceiling of the great hall look like the sky outside, and they were touching on the subject of ghosts when Sir Nicholas popped up out of the floor in front of them.

"Nick! We were just talking about you! Well, not necessarily you, but-"

The ghost laughed. "I know, I know, I heard you, Albus. Now if you will excuse me, I'm looking for- by Jove, is that Harry Potter?"

Remus frowned. He'd been hoping no one would treat Harry any differently until Harry knew WHY it was happening…too late. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Yes it is, Nick, but if you'll excuse us, we're late for dinner in the Great Hall."

Seeing the dismissal for what it was, Sir Nicholas nodded. "Yes Professor, I shall be on my way then. Good to meet you Mister Potter, I hope you shall become a Gryffindor…my old house, you know. Alright, I'm off. Take care!"

Harry's eyes had been as wide as they could go for a long while, and he had to blink to get some moisture back into them. "That was a g-ghost."

Of course, it had just been explained to Harry that yes, ghosts did exists, but it was another thing entirely to SEE one. He was only six, after all, and Dudley's tales of the haunted house next to their school didn't bode well in his imagination. He shivered.

"Yes Harry, Sir Nicholas is a ghost, but he is as human in heart as you can be. Now, I see that we've arrived to the Great Hall…care to take your seats, boys?"

Suddenly, Harry took in the room that was so different than it had been when he'd arrived. The four tables that took up the whole hall had been replaced with one white marble table that would seat them all quite comfortably. He saw the people already sitting at the table and suddenly became very shy.

Dumbledore noticed his discomfort and greeted the staff warmly. "Hello everyone, as you see Harry has arrived. Harry, make yourself comfortable anywhere you want."

Taking Dumbledore up on his offer, Harry sat in the free seat next to a man with long, black, slightly greasy hair. It was better to sit next to him than any of the other staff members, who were all looking at him like he was some sort of farm animal. Harry was content to sit next to the man that didn't seem to be off his rocker.

"Hello," Harry introduced himself shyly, noticing the professor staring at him. "My name is Harry Potter, pleased to meet you."

The greasy older man scowled at him, and Harry's eyes widened slightly. "I am Professor Snape, Potter. I teach potions…something I doubt you will excel at once you become a Hogwarts student. Don't expect special treatment here, Potter, for you'll be sorely disappointed."

That was all the man said for the rest of the meal, but Harry was grateful. The potions professor was a little scary. Finishing his meal, Harry wondered what he had done to anger the man so badly. One thing was for sure, and that was Harry would win the man over eventually. He didn't know what had caused the man to hate him, but he was determined to change his mind before long.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I was in a writing mood. And yes, I wanted Professor Snape to be around, too. We can't have a bazillion people all loving Harry and giving him a big head, now can we? Snape will hopefully be the balancing force that keeps Harry humbled as he grows up in the wizarding world. If you were six years old and everyone you knew worshipped the ground you walked on…you'd turn out like Malfoy did. –shudder-

NO SLASH IN THIS STORY. Just thought I'd throw that in there. Don't be disappointed. That's just not how I envision Harry.

If you're really determined to see something in this story, then put it in a review. I'll put it in if I think it's a good idea. :D

Review! :)


	6. Brooding and Becoming Famous

**A New Reality  
**by ParallelTogether

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not making any money off this.

* * *

A/N – I know it sucks to see a story where about ½ of it is author's notes. But I feel really grateful to all the fantastic reviewers I have reading my story, and I wanted to comment back. :)

RebeccaRoy – Yes, I'm going to make Harry and Snape time in the story, and it'll be cute and hilarious, and it might even make you angry at times. Hope you'll like it. :) I can't wait either!

Omega13a – I love that story, I read it not too long ago. Very cute. :) I can promise you that Snape and Harry won't be at each other's throats, but they won't be exactly loving either.

Makostarr – I'm as glad as you are that you found this story. :) Your reviews are refreshing, and I'm glad you're enjoying my story as much as I am. I'll work on taking my American slang and remaking it into British slang. Tell me if I sound unbelievable with it, though, because I'll probably bomb. :P

Effrijim – I'm going to have Harry raised not only by Remus and Dumbledore, but the rest of the Hogwarts staff and the Hogwarts students. Hogwarts will be Harry's home, and its residents his family members.

xX Hidden Secret Xx – Thank you for your review! I hope you'll stick with me. I think I'm going to keep this series going until Harry is out of his schooling.

Cyiusblack – I will try my best to update as soon as possible. :) Keep reading!

Furwing Silverclaw – Thank you so much for reading. I'll try to incorporate Harry's canon friends and acquaintances into the story as soon as the opportunity arises.

Merodeadores4ever – Thanks! :D I'll update as soon as possible, I promise.

The Grey Detective 7 – Thank you! I haven't read your story, but I'm sure it's great. I love Harry-rescue stories, they're adorable. :)

Serpent 91 – Yeah, I can understand why you'd think it was odd to have Harry trust so quickly, but I was going through this story thinking Harry was heavily abused as a kid. I hope you stick with the story. :)

Boycrazy30008 – Thank you! Yeah, I did have a Beta Reader for a while, but I just don't think I'm right for that type of thing. I'm more spontaneous with my updates, and when I get done I want my chapter up as quick as possible.

Amaturasu77 – Thank you very much! I hope you keep reading! :D

MarcoLover16 – Aw thank you! Yeah, the Dursleys deserve to be incinerated haha. Poor Harry. I hope you keep reading!

HallowedInk – Thank you for reading! Yes, I agree it's a little modern, but I wasn't born til 1993, so I don't know much of what happened back then. :P I'll work on it. Keep reading! :D

The-Unknown-Halliwell – Thanks for your tips! If you see anything wrong with the dialogue, just write it in a review and let me know how to fix it. I appreciate the help!

Choirsinger – Thank you for reading, I appreciate the reviews! :D

Kagedfox – Thank you for reading, I hope you keep it up! :)

And thanks to everyone else who reviewed, if I skipped you. I'm very, very grateful. Now, I have another question for you guys who are reading the story. Would you like to see Harry face any dangers BEFORE Hogwarts, or just see him develop as a person until he reaches his first year? I think I'm leaning towards the latter, but just let me know in a review. :)

Onto Chapter Six!

* * *

Professor Severus Snape slammed the door to his personal quarters, bubbling with fury. Contrary to popular belief, this was a rarity. Yes, the man did appear to be the volatile, angry sort, but he only put on that persona for all the public to see. Although the Dark Lord had seemingly disappeared the night of the Potters death, Severus Snape knew better. Voldemort had taken drastic measures to insure his immortality while Snape had been in his service, and as long as these measures hadn't been eliminated, Voldemort would still be alive.

So Severus kept his Death Eater persona still, appearing to everyone else to be on the side of the dark. He came off as shockingly angry and callous here at Hogwarts, and everyone else in the world, but in reality he was a calm man, prone to quick annoyance, but never fury.

But yet, Professor Snape was furious. And it was all because of that Potter brat.

Everyone insisted on CODDLING the brainless child, treating him as though he could do no wrong. But Severus saw the boy for what he REALLY was – the spoiled son of James Potter. The two were almost exactly the same in his eyes, exceedingly arrogant with a certain disregard for rules or anything else considered civilized. It infuriated him that Potter was given such a gigantic privilege that he did not deserve, to be placed inside Hogwarts as a mere SIX YEAR OLD BOY and given everything he so desperately wanted, just because he was an orphan. How dare Dumbledore agree to something so obviously favoring of the awful child? He was flabbergasted. The only reason the old coot was agreeing to this was the damn scar on the boy's forehead.

Sitting down in his favorite emerald green arm chair, Snape let out a sigh of frustration. He needed to remain calm, if he was ever going to convince the headmaster what was happening was wrong.

Something inside him squirmed, though. He wondered how bad the Dursleys treatment of the boy had to be, if Dumbledore agreed to take him out of the impenetrable wards around the house. He quickly squashed that; it was favoritism, nothing more, nothing less. Just favoritism.

Maybe he could take some of the big-headedness out of the boy, before it was too late. Yes, that's what he would do. He'd deflate the little boy's ego before it had a chance to evolve into anything major.

* * *

Remus sat by the fire in his and Harry's quarters, thinking of what he could say to Harry about who he was in the Wizarding World. He would need to tell him soon, no doubt. But it was nearing bed time for the two, and as he glanced at Harry's sleeping form on the couch, he realized he'd been staring at the fire longer than he'd thought. _Ah, well. Better put him to bed then._

"Harry, wake up now."

"Nghh…sorry Uncle Vernon…didn't mean to fall asleep-"

"Harry it's Moony, remember? We're at Hogwarts now, it's time to go to bed."

Harry blinked. "Oh, okay. Sorry I fell asleep though, I really shouldn't have…"

"Nonsense. It's my fault for not putting you to bed sooner. Now come on, your eyes are drooping already."

The two made their way to the archway that Harry's room was located in, where upon entering, the boy gasped and smiled. "This is my room?"

Remus took in all of what he had prepared for the boy the past month, and smiled. The large four-poster bed took up much of the room, as it was very large. The bathroom held a shower and a bath tub, and was decorated with colors of blue, green, and silver. The main room was a light beige with various earth tones to compliment it. He hadn't wanted to make the room any house colors and bias Harry in any way, so he kept it to tans and whites. He looked nervously at Harry, hoping he liked it, and was answered by a big hug around his legs. Remus chuckled.

"So you like it, I presume…"

"Yeah, it's brilliant! Thank you!"

Remus turned down Harry's covers and tucked the boy in, smiling. "I hope you're happy here, Harry. I know we're all ecstatic to have you around."

Harry smiled softly, his eyes already drooping. "Yeah…it's a grand place. Thank you…Moony. You're all grand…too…"

And with that, Harry was asleep. Remus smiled gently and made his way to his own room for the night, thanking Merlin Harry was enjoying himself. He would do Lily and James proud, and take care of their son as best he could.

The next day, Dumbledore took Remus and Harry to his office and sat them down, preparing to tell Harry about his celebrity status in their world.

"Harry, I brought you up here to talk to you about a few things we didn't feel comfortable with telling you yesterday. Nothing too dreadful of course, but you already had a lot to take in, and we wanted you to be as comfortable as possible."

Harry nodded shyly. "What've you got to tell me, sir?"

Dumbledore tapped his gnarled, old fingers on the top of his desk and looked down. This was going to be difficult for the little boy to bear. He hoped he could tell him as gently as possible.

"Harry, yesterday we told you that an evil wizard killed your parents. Do you remember this?"

"Yes, sir…"

"That's right. Harry, Voldemort, the wizard who killed your parents, was on a quest to become the most powerful wizard to ever exist. He would do anything to instill fear into the hearts of others, making everyone KNOW he was someone to be respected, feared, held in high regard. Doing anything, unfortunately, meant killing innocent people to further himself in what he wanted. Your parents were known supporters of the light, Harry, and they refused to help Voldemort in any way. Your parents had to go into hiding to escape from the terrors Lord Voldemort could inflict upon them, but he found them, and tried to take what he wanted from them. But they wouldn't let him have anything. They fought to keep their lives, Harry, and when it was clear they would be no match for the wizard, your mother gave her life to save you. This is a very old type of magic, Harry, a magic borne from love and desperation. Lord Voldemort wasn't expecting this, and preformed the killing curse on you, to finalize his destruction. But instead of you dying, the curse bounced off, leaving Voldemort without a body, and you with just that scar on your forehead. Voldemort was defeated that night."

Remus put his face in his hands, but Dumbledore continued.

"Harry, it was thought impossible to survive the killing curse, but that night, you did it, as a baby no less. You can see how shocked and awed the Wizarding community was to see such a powerful man defeated by a mere baby. You became sort of a celebrity overnight here. All of a sudden, the most powerful, feared, and destructive wizard alive, the man who had killed countless witches and wizards, was suddenly gone, seemingly because of a mere baby boy. You can see how big a story that was, and soon, Harry Potter was a household name."

Harry was shocked. How could anyone think it had been him? It was all his mother's doing. She had protected him, she should get the credit, not him. He told Dumbledore so.

"Yes Harry, your mother did defend you. But people believe what they want to believe and see what they want to see. And they wanted to see someone who could still defend them."

Harry groaned inwardly. That was just so unfair to his mum, after everything she'd done for him…he frowned. Is this why Snape didn't like him? Because he was famous for nothing? He asked the two wizards.

"Now Harry, I'm sure Professor Snape doesn't hate you. He just isn't the most bubbly of characters. I understand you may be a little confused and upset, learning all of this after being told something completely different all of you life. But I assure you, you can come to us any time, and any questions you have will be answered."

"Okay, I have a question," Harry said. "You said Vol-Volday...Voldeemoot was left without a body…but does that mean he didn't die?"

Dumbledore had been hoping the boy wouldn't have picked up on that. "It's pronounced Vol-De-Mort, Harry. And no, I do not believed he died, although most of the Wizarding world does. I believe he's just biding his time, waiting until something comes along that will strengthen him again. But there is nothing to suggest that will happen, so we are safe. Don't worry."

Harry nodded, although his stomach didn't feel quite so secure. "I believe you, Professor, sir."

The man frowned, but nodded. "I assure you, Harry, you are perfectly safe, as you have always been. Nothing has changed. Now, go on back to your quarters with Remus. I'm sure you two have a lot to discuss."

Harry nodded and let Remus lead him back to their quarters, saying a goodbye to the Headmaster. The whole way back, all he thought was, '_Why does this stuff always happen to me?'_

* * *

Alright, hope you liked Chapter Six! Any suggestions, comments, or concerns, just press that LILAC button at the bottom of the page and send me a review, please. Reviews are the only payment a fanfiction author can recieve, and everyone likes to get paid, right? Even if you just say a couple of words, or if you write me a whole novel, I'll appreciate it very much.

Keep checking back for updates!

Oh, and I won't post that long of an A/N next time, I promise. I just wanted to let you guys know. :)


	7. Harry Turns Seven

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money off this

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money off this. I know Harry Potter is copyrighted.

A/N – I promise this one's not long! All I wanted to say is thanks to everyone who's reviewed. I'm thrilled you all are liking the story; it's amazing to have such warm, encouraging feedback. I hope you all keep reading! :D

Chapter Seven –

* * *

Harry Potter's birthday was coming up later in the week, and Remus was desperately trying to throw the boy the best birthday bash possible. With Dumbledore's help, he had pulled together a hopefully amazing party in the Hogwarts Great Hall. The two adults had invited a couple of young witches and wizards what would some day be Harry's fellow classmates, such as Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Susan Bones, and Luna Lovegood. Hopefully, Harry would make some friends at his party, and have a nice birthday. Remus understood Harry had never had a birthday party before, and therefore he felt it was his duty to pull off something unbelievable. In that mindset, it was easy to understand why he was having trouble finding the perfect gift for Harry. After tossing and turning mostly all of the night, Remus decided to get Harry many things that would make him happy…at the same time staying within Remus's modest budget. Of course, Harry had no idea he was having any sort of celebration for his seventh birthday, and Remus was hoping to keep it that way.

* * *

Harry Potter was thoroughly enjoying his new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Remus Lupin, his new guardian, was unbelievably kind to him, as was Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts staff. _Weill, _Harry thought, _most of the Hogwarts staff anyways._

Indeed, one of the people in his new home was downright nasty to him. Severus Snape, Potions Professor to the school, seemed to have something against Harry, more than just a tiny bit of dislike. After constantly questioning Remus about it, the man had to him that the snarky professor and his own late father hadn't gotten along during their school days, and thought it was possible that Snape was still harboring ill feelings, passing them off onto James's son. Harry thought this to be entirely unfair, and it made him all the more determined to win the professor over.

* * *

Harry awoke the morning of his seventh birthday just as if it had been another, regular day. He went through the motions of beginning his day just as he always did; running a (fairly useless) comb through his untidy hair, putting on an outfit Remus had insisted on buying him, brushing his teeth, cleaning his glasses, and stepping out of his room to see Remus.

Harry gasped a little to see Remus wating for him on the couch, a stack of presents resting on the coffee table in front of him. Remus smiled and patted the seat next to him, signaling the boy to sit. "Happy birthday, Harry. Want to go ahead and open your presents?

Harry , eyes wide, took a seat next to Remus. "These are…for me?"

Remus nodded.

Harry couldn't believe it. He'd never gotten anything for his birthday before, and to see his new guardian giving him all these presents overwhelmed him. The man was kind, and supporting, and (dare he say it) almost loving towards him, even though they hadn't known each other for even a month. To know that Remus was willing to spend money on him was mind blowing to the little boy. It was too much for the now seven-year-old, and he hid his face in his guardian's shoulder while he cried. Remus shifted the boy onto his lap and rubbed his back while he cried, trying to soothe the little boy. He hadn't expected this reaction, certainly; but he understood where it had come from.

"Harry," Remus said gently, "You know that your aunt and uncle were completely wrong in treating you the way they did, don't you? You're one of a kind, Harry. I want you to remember that."

Harry sniffled and slowly disentangled himself from his guardian, a little embarrassed of his outburst. "Yes, sir, I know they were wrong. Thank you."

Remus nodded. "Now what do you say we open these presents before someone else up and takes them, eh?" The two laughed, and Harry dug into his first present. He tore away the sparkly blue wrapping paper, excited to see what he had gotten. He opened the box his present was in to find a box of chocolates. But it wasn't any ordinary box of chocolates; no, it was more chocolate than Harry had ever seen in his life. This box was HUGE, more than anything the Dursleys had ever given Dudley, and that was saying something. There were four levels of chocolates, with about twenty chocolates on each level. Harry was ecstatic.

"Oh wow, thank you so much Remus! This is unbelievable, how'd you find all this chocolate?"

Remus laughed. "It's Honeydukes finest, Harry. Nothing less for you. Now, open the others."

Harry complied. From Remus, he also received a pair of Wizarding sneakers (they could hover a couple inches off the ground, change to any color you wanted them to, and change size to fit your feet perfectly), a book called 'Welcome to Magic; an In-Depth Guide on How the Wizarding World Works for Younger Wizards', and his favorite, a snowy white owl.

Remus had made sure Harry opened it last, seeing as he thought it to be the most special. Harry appeared to think so too. "She's all yours, Harry. You can name her anything you like. She can carry mail or just be your companion, which I think is all you'll need right now."

Harry didn't say anything, just stroked his new owl and bubbled with happiness. He turned and gave his guardian a hug, not trusting himself to speak. He had already cried once today; it was stupid to do so again.

The two sat there for a while, just hugging and talking about nothing in particular. Harry hadn't known of what to name his new owl, so he asked Remus for suggestions. "It's not my decision, Harry. I can give you a book of famous Wizarding figures to look through for names you like, if you really want."

Harry nodded.

"Alright, well, we'll get to that later. Right now, we have to get ready for lunch. Let's see if we can do something for that hair of yours; your father never could quite manage it, you know."

Harry giggled in delight. "Tell me more about him, please, Moony. The Dursleys would never talk about them."

Remus sighed. "Alright, Harry. First thing that comes to mind about your father is what a prankster he was. No matter what was happening at the time, James always had to crack a joke or do something funny. And he was very, very funny. Almost anything he said was meant to make you laugh. He was also extremely loyal, and honest to a fault. Your father was loved by everyone at Hogwarts, for the most part, because he was so kind to everyone he met. And he was always up for a challenge. He was very bright, and very headstrong, making him a sort of role model to all of us at Hogwarts. Most people wanted to be his friend. He was Head Boy, but not a prefect…let's see…"

Harry smiled wistfully, wondering what it would've been like to know his father. But he stopped suddenly, and looked up at his guardian. "Remus, if all that's true…then why does Professor Snape hate him so?"

Remus grimaced. That would be tough to explain. "Harry, remember how I said your father was a major prankster?"

Harry nodded.

"Yes, well, naturally, there came a time when James thought it would be funny to prank Severus Snape. Most people in Hogwarts had been on the receiving end of James' sense of humor, and all took it in good fun, so James didn't see anything wrong with his idea. He played a prank on Severus, and he didn't take it in good humor at all. Severus was always very concentrated on being serious, quite the opposite of James. He's hated your father ever since. Quite silly, really, Harry. But the two were so stubborn that they never got past it."

Harry nodded. "Oh, that's awful. I hope my dad didn't do anything too bad, though."

Remus laughed at his memory. "Oh, no, not really. He only spelled Severus's hair Gryffindor colors for a couple of hours."

Harry held back a giggle. "Oh, well I guess that's good, then."

Moony nodded. "Now, let's go tackle that head of yours."

After Harry's hair was as manageable as they could get it, the two made it down to the Great Hall. Harry thought it would be just like any normal lunch, but instead, when he got to the Great Hall he was greeted by a loud 'SURPRISE!' and many smiling, strange faces. His eyes widened.

"Uh, hullo…thank you."

Harry felt out of place with all these loud, happy children running around, having fun. He looked up at Remus, only to see an encouraging smile. He smiled back and took the seat Moony directed him to.

Soon, all the children were in their seats, smiling eagerly at Harry. He didn't know any of them until Dumbledore spoke up.

"Harry, my boy, Happy Birthday! I've taken the liberty of inviting a couple of future Hogwarts students your own age here today, they're all quite nice. Would you like me to introduce them?"

Harry smiled shyly at Dumbledore and nodded, touched that the man had done such a thoughtful thing for him.

"Very well. We have with us today Mr. Ron Weasley, Miss Luna Lovegood, Mr. Neville Longbottom, Mr. Dean Thomas, and Miss Susan Bones. Children, as you all know this is Harry Potter."

All the children smiled and talked loudly, being young and vivacious as they always were. Everyone except Luna, that is, who was poking her slice of cake curiously. She leaned over to Harry and whispered, in a strange, floaty kind of voice, "I'm checking for Cake Crunching Crumpers, my dad says there's at least one in every cake you bake."

Harry nodded and dug into his cake, careful to check for any of the strange creachers Luna was talking about. Dean Thomas, the boy on his left, nudged him and said, "Happy birthday, mate! I turned seven a couple months ago, it's a whole lot better than being six, let me tell you…"

Harry happily let himself become friends with the children around him, glad that Dudley wasn't here to take them all away. He had just gotten into a conversation with Luna about what the Crumpers looked like when Dumbledore spoke up again. "Harry, I think it's time you opened your presents."

He looked up at Dumbledore with wide, curious eyes. He had thought that Remus's presents were more than enough; how could anyone possibly want to get him more? He gasped as a stack of presents was levitated in front of him, and all the children's plates vanished.

Remus spoke up. "Open them, Harry. I'm sure they're fantastic."

Harry grinned and once again tore off his presents' wrappings. He had gotten a jar of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Ron (Ron said they even had vomit flavor, but Harry didn't know if he should believe him), a set of bangles from Luna, who said they were from the wrist of a famous gypsy, a Puddlemere United cap from Dean Thomas, a fake wand that shot out different colored light from Susan Bones, and a curious orb called a remembrall from Neville, who explained to him what exactly it did.

"If you forget something, the orb glows red inside. Problem is it doesn't say what you've forgotten."

Harry laughed and thanked everyone for their amazing presents.

"Harry, I'm afraid you're not quite finished with your gifts yet," Dumbledore said suddenly, smiling. "This is from me, I hope you enjoy it."

Harry looked at the strange, long box covered in half-moon wrapping paper before him and tore into it, lifting the lid and furrowing his brow at what he saw.

A tiny broom?

Remus and Dumbledore both laughed at his bewildered expression. "Remus and I are going to teach you how to fly, Harry, if you feel up to it. That's a miniature broom for beginners, the Cleansweep Seven Mini. We'll try as soon as you want to."

Harry's eyes lit up. People could actually fly here? He gave an enthusiastic thank you to the headmaster and said, "Can we try it out tomorrow, sir?"

Dumbledore consented, and Harry said thank you once again before turning his attention back to his new friends. He, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Susan played Hide and Seek, and other children's games, up until it was time for everyone to leave. It was about six o'clock when everyone left, seeing as how they had to get home for dinner. Harry smiled brightly; he'd had the best birthday ever.

* * *

A/N – I think this chapter is slightly longer than usual. I can't write long chapters to save my life, I like to get them out there as soon as possible instead of later. I hope you liked it!

Review please, because it's all the payment I get as a fan-fiction author. Even if it's just a couple of words, it'd make my day. Thank you. :)


	8. Flying and the Thoughts of Severus Snape

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money off this.

A/N - Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm very grateful for all the comments I've received on this story. Everyone who offered up suggestions on the plot, I will most likely be incorporating your ideas into the story. If you were wondering why Hermione Granger wasn't in the last chapter, it's because she wasn't known to be a witch at that age. Only people who had known magical relatives were included into the party, simply because they were the only magical children the Hogwarts Staff knew at his age. Okay, onto the story.

Chapter Eight

* * *

Harry Potter was extremely grateful to Remus and Dumbledore for taking him to Hogwarts Castle. Without them, he would still be back at the Dursleys, washing dishes and being a sort of manservant to his less than desirable family. If you could even call those people his family. He supposed he should be glad the Dursleys hadn't enjoyed his company; after all, why in the world would he have wanted to be liked by those horrible people anyways? He wanted to stay far away from them, horrible as they were. Why should he feel less than ecstatic that he wasn't their ideal nephew?

He wondered why it still hurt.

Of course, Remus and Dumbledore (who was now insisting he call him Albus) assured Harry that the Dursleys were mistaken in their opinion of him; that Harry was a wonderful, talented, and sweet little boy who deserved much more than the Dursleys had ever given him. And he started to believe them, with time. Over the short time Harry had been living with him, Remus had shown him what it was like to truly have someone who cared for you. And Harry cared for Remus, too.

So he awoke the morning after his birthday not depressed over the previous day as he usually was on this day, but elated. He had had an amazing birthday, meeting new friends, getting actual presents, and feeling as if he mattered. It was wonderful to have that feeling. Remus came to greet him in the main room, and they set out for the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry took a chance and sat by Professor Snape, remembering his determination to form a sort of friendship with the man. He winced when all he received was a dark scowl.

"All right, Harry?" Professor Sprout said from across the table.

"Oh yes, and you, Professor?"

"Perfectly fine, young dear. I recommend you try the sausage, it's exceptional today you know."

Harry pulled a couple of pieces onto his plate, along with some biscuits, a couple pieces of toast, and some thick strips of bacon. Usually Professor Sprout didn't speak at meals, at least not to him. How odd.

He turned his attention back to the Professor. "So…you teach potions? I bet that's a challenge."

The man gave him an odd, annoyed glance, and unwillingly replied, "Not for a Potions Master, Mister Potter, unless you believe my abilities to be less than perfect."

Harry grimaced. "Oh no, sir, I just meant to say it wouldn't be easy to teach a group of kids how to do something so complicated. You must have it mastered if you can teach it."

Snape blinked in surprise. Evidently, that hadn't been what he was expecting. "Yes, well. We will see if my teacher abilities can possibly help you, Potter, when you make your appearance in my class some day."

"So you'll be my teacher, then?"

"Yes, Potter, I will be your Potions teacher until your fifth year. I doubt you will scrape up the grade needed to make it to my NEWT level class."

Harry bit his lip. "I'll certainly try, sir. Potions sound fascinating, I can't wait to give it a go myself." This was, of course, a complete lie; nothing sounded as dreadfully boring as sitting in the dungeons making odd juices all day long. But if it made Snape any more gracious, it would do.

"Alright, then, Mr. Potter. Eat your breakfast and let me eat mine in peace."

Harry did so, without another word to Snape. Remus was looking at him a little strangely, as were the rest of the table, except Dumbledore; the old Headmaster was turning his eyes on full twinkle, Harry thought with a snort. Snape glanced at him with a sneer, and turned back to his plate.

"So, young Harry. When would you like to start your first flying lesson? Madam Hooch has turned up most conveniently, and she will help us assist you."

Harry glanced for the first time at the strange woman sitting next to Dumbledore. She had short, gray hair, and eyes like a hawk. But her smile was kind and he trusted her.

"Ooh…if it's not too much trouble, could we go now? Please, sir?"

Dumbledore looked at Remus, who nodded. "Yes, I believe Remus, Madam Hooch and myself are all sufficiently well fed for a couple of hours. Do you have your broom, Harry?"

Harry groaned. "No sir, it's all the way up in-"

Suddenly, the broom was zooming towards Dumbledore. His eyes widened. Sometimes magic still caught him by surprise. The four of them stood up and made their way out the front doors of the castle, onto the quidditch pitch.

* * *

Harry was bubbling with excitement, and not a little bit of nervousness. He was actually going to fly! He couldn't believe it. They reached the center of the quidditch pitch and stopped.

Now, Harry. I want you to set your broom down next to you, on your left side, preferably."

Harry did so, a little confused. How was he going to fly with his broom on the ground? It seemed silly to him.

"Now. Raise your hand over your broom, ready to catch it."

Harry did so with mounting excitement.

"Will the broom to zoom up into your hand, and call 'UP!'"

Harry willed the broom to float up toward his hand, and, following her instruction, shouted 'UP!' as loud as he could muster. He wilted a little at the sight of his broom just rolling on the ground.

"It's quite all right Harry, I didn't expect you to even get that far on the first try. Now try again."

Harry felt more determined this time to get it right, and tried again, calling out 'UP!' and expecting the broom to zoom up into his hand. He squealed with joy when the broom _actually did it!_

Madam Hooch raised her eyebrows. "Well done, Harry, that was quite good. Now, mount your broom, and put your hands just below the handle, gripping it with your right hand on top of your left."

He did so, excited.

"Alright. Now kick off the ground, GENTLY. I don't want you flying more than a foot off the ground, understand?"

Harry nodded profusely.

"Now GO!"

Harry kicked off with a tiny bit of force, and as soon as he got up in the air, he felt…peaceful, like he belonged in the air. Even if it was only about a foot away from the ground, Harry felt like he was millions of miles upward. Soon, though, he got impatient with just hovering.

"Can I try to fly now, Madam Hooch?"

She smiled lightly and nodded. "But don't try anything too daring, Mister Potter. No need to show off here."

He nodded and flew higher, trying to get the feel of moving with his broom. It didn't take long; he felt absolutely natural up here, on this broom, like he had been meant to do this all along. He pushed the broom faster, and let out a 'WHOOP!' of joy. He could see the worried, yet excited smiles on each of their faces, and, ignoring Madam Hooch's orders, suddenly went into a loop-de-loop type of move. He felt so free! This was wonderful, this was exciting, this was-

And Harry was suddenly stopped in midair, Remus pointing his wand sternly at him. "What did Madam Hooch tell you, Harry? Nothing too fancy, now, I don't want you getting hurt up there."

Harry frowned, but consented. Remus let go his hold on the boy and Harry flew towards the goal posts slowly.

Remus had explained quidditch to Harry late last night, showing Harry a diagram in mid-air with his wand and telling Harry what happened in the game. He explained the purpose of a keeper, a beater, a chaser, and a seeker. Harry thought being a seeker sounded amazing; the whole game mostly depended on the seeker for the win, and seekers were supposed to be small, slender, and quick. Just like Harry. He was looking forward to seeing school matches in the future, when school term started September First.

Remus, Albus, and Madam Hooch took a seat in the Ravenclaw stands, closest to where Harry was currently flying. Harry was definitely gifted on a broom, just like his father had been. It felt almost wrong to be the one helping Harry ride a broom, instead of his own father. He could only do his best to make sure Harry grew up knowing who his parents had been while they had been alive.

He watched Harry do another one of those nerve-wracking loop-de-loop moves, but let the boy slide this time. He deserved to have his bit of fun, especially with how peaceful he looked. It almost broke his heart to have to make the boy come down.

"Harry, we have to go back to the castle now. It's getting near dinner time."

Harry's eyes widened. He'd been out here for four hours? Come to think of it, he was getting quite hungry…

* * *

After dinner (at which Snape was not in attendance), Remus and Harry sat by the fire in the main room, like they often did at the end of the day. The two talked and joked and bonded during this time, left alone by the other inhabitants of the castle. Harry decided to confide in Remus about his situation with Snape.

"Remus," Harry began, slowly. "You know how Professor Snape doesn't like me, right?"

Remus frowned. "Harry, I wouldn't say he-"

"Well I would. So do you have any ideas as to how I can get him to be at least cordial to me?"

Remus narrowed his eyes. "Why, Harry? Has he been insulting you? If he has-"

"No, Moony, he hasn't been insulting me. I just don't want anyone here to dislike me, you know? I want everyone here to like me, I want everyone in my new home to think highly of me."

Remus sighed. "I suppose you could want a lot worse things, Harry. But I'm afraid Severus Snape is a tough man to make friends with. I suggest not pushing the man if you want his companionship, and maybe some day you'll get it."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Remus."

* * *

Severus Snape sat in his personal quarters, pondering the behavior of one Harry James Potter. The boy was positively infuriating, trying to force a conversation out of him every meal, but he was forbidden by the headmaster to speak to the boy in any way that was less than kind. He obeyed, and was confused as to why the order wasn't too hard for him. He couldn't possibly be developing a soft spot for the boy; could he? No, no. That simply would not do. He was, after all, Severus Tobias Snape, a man made of solid spite and cold, fine-tuned hatred. It would simply ruin him to be seen as having a sort of affection for the young boy, even if he was the child of Lily Evans.

He was also the son of James Potter.

He scolded himself for his backward thinking. What did it matter whose blood he had running through his vains? Wasn't that what he had been saying about himself for years? He supposed he couldn't very well treat the boy with disdain without seeing himself as the biggest hypocrite ever to walk the halls of Hogwarts, after all, with his less-than-pure blood lineage. He sneered. How quaint.

Severus had been quick to judge Harry Potter to be a spoiled, inconsiderate, unintelligent brat of a boy, until the seven year old child had tried his best to strike up a polite and meaningless conversation at a meal. He hadn't seen James Potter in one ounce of the boy, no matter how hard he tried. This boy was as earnest and heartfelt as Lily had been. In fact, the only part of James he could sense in the boy was his outward appearance, which was almost a mirror image.

He scowled.

Maybe the boy wasn't so bad, he admitted to himself. But he certainly did NOT have any sort of attatchment to him. No, he was simply a tolerable child. That was all. A tolerable little boy with the eyes of his dead former friend.

Not many knew, but Lily Evans had, in fact, been close to Severus Snape before the two had come to Hogwarts. He had lived nearby her, and seen her perform magic accidentally, saw her sister get jealous of her abilities while she herself had none to speak of. He saw the worry and confusion inside her parents when they took notice, and he saw the fear in Lily herself once she discovered the abnormality of what she could do.

He had felt extremely sorry for the little girl with no one to turn to about her abilities. One day, when Lily had been playing a game of 'hide and seek' with her older sister, Severus sought her out and told her he shared the same abilities she did, and what it meant to them. They had taken to each other instantly, Lily finally having someone who could help her with her confusion, and Severus finally having someone who wouldn't judge him for his less than perfect family.

It was a wholesome friendship, that lasted for quite a while.

Until Severus called her that foul, disgusting word. And then, nothing was the same.

_Mudblood._

How he regretted it, even now, saying such a loathsome thing to his best friend. She had meant everything to him, and he had discarded her carelessly that day, with the use of one word. All to impress the members of his filthy house. He had gone to her afterwards, apologized like he had never apologized in his life. But Lily would not accept his apology, would not have anything to do with him after that.

And that had, most likely, killed him.

Maybe he would redeem himself through this boy, maybe he could make it up to Lily by treating her son as he should have treated her. It would not be easy, but he would try. He would try for Lily, and he would try for himself.

And Harry would become the savior of his soul.

* * *

A/N – I hope everyone reviews this chapter that reads it, I really do. Reviews mean a lot to someone when they're writing a story, and they're also the only form of compensation I get for this. Even if you just give me two words, I'll appreciate it. Thanks!


	9. Getting Old and Quidditch Games

A New Reality – by ParallelTogether

Disclaimer – This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. All other original content and plots belong to me, for which no money will ever be received. No breach of copyright laws are intended.

Okay! So, yeah, I've been gone for a long, long time. I'm really sorry. But if you had gone to my profile, you would have seen the update that says my computer hates me and doesn't want me on the internet. I don't know how regular updates will be now, with school and band and choir and tennis and drama and track and hanging out with my friends…(lol yeah, I do have a pretty busy life), but I'll try my best. I admit, I had been a little down on this story for a while, from some pretty heavy criticism, but I'll be okay! :P If I could get a review from everyone who reads this chapter, I would be ecstatic. I love you guys, thanks for staying loyal to the story. :D

**Chapter Nine – **

* * *

I've always known I was smart for my age. In my 'muggle' primary school, my teachers would tell me I was 'exceptionally bright', and 'quick witted.' On the other hand, those same teachers would get hold of Dudley, and tell him he should 'follow my example in his studies.' Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were furious about this of course; they hated me, and thought Dudley exceeded me in every way possible. I was a freak, a monstrosity, a nuisance…and Dudley was a prince.

Coming to live at Hogwarts castle four years ago was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Moony (my new guardian), Dumbledore, and the rest of the people residing in Hogwarts castle took me in like I was their own and made me the 10-year-old I am today. My best friend is Ron Weasley; the only thing we disagree on is quidditch (I mean, he likes the lousiest team…honestly, the Chudley Cannons are worse than this years Slytherins!). I've got tons of other great friends, like Neville, Luna, Susan, Dean, Seamus…I was even on good terms with Draco Malfoy (Snape was his godfather), which the others didn't like one bit. Draco wasn't that bad, really; he thought extremely well of himself, but that's only because he's a Malfoy (his father is a thousand times more egotistical). His mother always sends him with a tin of Scandinavian chocolates for me; she seems to think he's doing right by befriending me. I can only guess why.

Moony has told me everything he knows about the people I've met and the things I've seen during my short stint in the Wizarding world…he tells me in an un-biased way and lets me decide what I think without his opinion. I'm grateful for that; I want to know everything I can about this world before I actually start my lessons next year. There are four houses here at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Draco talks about being in Slytherin like it's the only acceptable part of Hogwarts, while Ron seems to think Gryffindor is the only way to go around here. It's all just bonkers to me…I don't care where I'm placed, as long as I make friends there. Remus says he'll be proud of wherever I end up.

I've already got a start on my Hogwarts education, thanks to the friends I've made at the school. Ron's brothers here (Charlie, Fred, George, and Percy) have all been fantastic towards me, and sometimes they like to tutor me. Fred and George (the twins) say they'd like to 'see the look on Snape's face when I know what he's talking about.' I sort of look forward to that, too.

Professor Snape seems to have taken a liking to me as well, in his own, odd way. He doesn't coddle me or anything close to that, but he never shouts at me either. We actually have conversations sometimes at the dinner table, about my days and his. I guess you could say he's cordial to me, in fact. It's much better than how he used to be, at any rate. I hope it stays such.

The other professors are slightly more warm to me than Snape is, but they still don't coddle me like Remus and Dumbledore. McGonagall always calls me down to her quarters on Saturdays and we talk about nothing in particular. Sometimes she gets stressed by her classes, and she tells me our get-togethers help her relax a little. I'm glad of that; she's a sort of parent to me, I guess you could say. Like a surrogate mother, almost.

I'd like to think my parents would be proud of who I am; Remus has told me all about them. My mum had red hair and green eyes, and my dad (who was absolutely nuts over her) looked just like me, but with brown eyes. Dad was a prankster and always had to be laughing, while mum loved to read almost as much as she loved my dad. They didn't always get along though; when they were in school, my mum thought dad was a pig, and even though he asked her out almost every day, she always said no. I don't exactly know what happened to change that, but Remus always says that's a story for another day.

Today, Remus is taking Ron and I to see a quidditch game between the Holyhead Harpies and Puddlemere United. Ron's convinced that Puddlemere will win…but I think the HH are ace, and they'll bag PU, no question.

"Moony!" I called out into the main room. "Has Ron floo'ed in yet?"

"No, he's – ah, here he is."

I shook my head and bounced to the common room, excited. "Are we all ready, then?"

Ron nodded, and Remus took the floo powder from inside his robes. "Alright, Harry, you first…you know where we're headed right? You know how to do it, step into the grate…"

I did so and Remus passed me the floo powder. Throwing a pinch down and being encircled in green flames, I cried, "Puddlemere United Quidditch Arena!" and was whisked off instantly.

It was decidedly uncomfortable to travel by floo, no matter how many times I'd done it. I kept my elbows tucked in, not wanting to catch one on the walls of a fireplace, and tried to quell the slightly sick feeling I always felt while spinning from grate to grate. Finally, I stopped spinning, and felt my feet land slightly unsteadily on solid ground. I stepped out of the grate and waited for Remus and Ron.

Ron came through first, two grates left of where I had landed. There were about twenty of them in all; there was too much trafficking for only one. Ron saw me and jogged over.

"Whatd'ya think, mate? First quidditch game together, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, this'll be a blast…there's Remus, grate ten."

Remus spotted us, too, and came over. "You both made it intact, I assume?" We nodded. "Good. We've got about…20 minutes or so until the game starts. Do you want to sit down now or go get something to eat?"

Ron shook his head. "I'm always hungry, but if we go eat now we'll never get to our seats in time."

I laughed, and nodded in agreement.

"Hm, let's go take our seats, then. Follow me, and don't get separated."

Ron and I followed quickly behind Remus, staying as close as possible in the large crowd of people. I was too excited for the game to think about them, though; this was only the second official quidditch match I'd ever been to; the first one, I was eight, and we'd had to leave immediately because Remus had gotten sick. He had felt so bad, but I hadn't minded. Why would I want to watch a game while Remus was pukey?

We finally got to our seats; they were great seats, low enough that you could see without binoculars, but high enough so that you weren't in danger of rogue bludgers. We took our seats next to a peculiar family; they were all dressed in blue and purple flecked robes, and their hair was done up in buns on both sides of their head (except for the man; he had a purple streak in a lock of hair). I shook my head and tried not to laugh, and took my seat between Remus and Ron. Below us, a woman was trying to play peek-a-boo with her baby; only, the baby didn't seem to like it too much…every time the mum would open her hands, the baby would shake her head and let out a moan. It was quite funny to watch, actually; it held my attention until Ludo Bagman's voice sounded over the pitch.

_"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to today's game! We hope you enjoy yourselves and come back to see us again someday. Please note the flip-down tables on the seats in front of you, for your drink and food convenience. If you have disruptive children in your party, please either take them out of the arena or place a silencing charm so your neighbors are not disrupted. Thank you for your patience; the game will be starting shortly."_

Harry felt butterflies in his stomach; on the large screen to the right of the arena, he read off advertisement after advertisement: '_Tired of hearing static on your witches radio? Buy the new Wizaradio 510, complete with no-fuzz sound, voice inflection control, and volume that can cover over a mile! Usewithcaution;thisproducthasnotbeentestedbythewizardcontrolboardandisnotsafetobeusednearchildren.donotuseifyouarenursing,pregnant,orhaveanytypeofillness,asthisproductcoulddamageyourhealthfurther.' _Harry's eyes widened at that one, and he saw Remus sit back with wide eyes, too.

_"And now, put your hands together fooorrrrr…the Holyhead Harpies!"_

Harry screamed and clapped with the rest of his neighbors; Ron rolled his eyes.

Bagman named off each player, using that announcer-type voice of his, and the team circled the goal posts with amazing speed; Harry saw they were using Nimbus 1000s.

_"Also playing today, please welcome…PUDDLEMERE UNITED!"_

The PU fans went crazy; Ron stood up and flailed his arms around, screaming and jumping. Harry laughed at him, but stifled his giggles as Remus nudged him with a smirk of his own. Ron eventually sat down and Bagman started naming players.

_"Here comes Minogue, Crabgrass, Masen, Melovski, Johnson, aaaaand Rehkop!"_ (A/N:I don't know if these are their names; I made them up for storyline purposes only.)

The Puddlemere United team and the Holyhead Harpies flew down to the center of the pitch, hovering a couple feet off the ground, waiting.

And then, the game started. Both seekers flew high into the air, the PU chasers followed the Holyhead Harpies chaser Trina Melovski, who had the quaffle, both keepers zoomed to their goalposts and started circling them, and the beaters zoomed into position on the opposite ends of the pitch. Bagman kept up his constant commentary; "_Bagwell's heading down to the Harpies side, zooming with the quaffle; she fakes toward the left goal but then sinks it in the right; score for Puddlemere! Minogue zooms for the quaffle and sails toward the Puddlemere goal, but misses the shot; Johnson sure has control over his posts!"_

Harry paid no attention to this; he follwed the Harpies seeker closely sometimes, other times watching the PU seeker or searching for the snitch himself; 150 points went to the team that caught the golden little ball, and ended the game. Rehkop zoomed around on her Nimbus, trying to find a flash of gold; he saw her dive, but then pull out suddenly with a disappointed stare. Larson, the PU seeker, kept his attention on Rehkop for a while, before turning his attention back to finding the snitch.

Harry stole a brief glance at the scoreboard; the Harpies had a lead of 40 points, with a score of 85 to 45. Ron was squirming in his seat, obviously wanting to get up and do something about the score. Harry stifled a laugh and turned back to watch the game.

"_And theres Crabgrass, shooting a bludger toward Bagwell on the Puddlemere side…ooh, just barely missed that one! Bagwell sails to the right and shoots the quaffle into the middle goal, but misses…nice control of those goals- and Rehkop has gone into a steep dive, has she seen the snitch?"_

Harry's breath caught as he looked to Rehkop; she was flying steadily at the ground, but…there was no snitch there, he was sure of it. What was Rehkop doing?

Larson started tailing Rehkop, catching up to her quickly; it was almost as if Rehkop WANTED him to catch up…and then Harry understood. Rekhop hadn't seen the snitch, she was fooling Larson into crashing into the ground…Harry gasped as Rehkop pulled out of the dive seconds before she hit the ground; Larson just barely made it out in time.

_"Ah, and a bit of trickery there by Rehkop, going into a Wronski Feint! But Larson hasn't fallen for it, and he makes it out of the dive just in time to save himself from being smashed into the field."_

The game went on like this for a while; Rehkop would fake Larson out and almost take him out of the game; Larson would always fall for it. Harry gathered that Larson wasn't the greatest seeker; he seemed to only follow Rehkop, rather than look for the snitch himself.

Harry saw a flash of gold and gasped as he saw what he knew to be the snitch floating right above the middle PU goalpost. Rehkop was on the other side of the field, but Larson was almost right there…Rehkop noticed the snitch, but Larson didn't; he was too busy watching his team. Rehkop's eyes narrowed in thought as she considered how best to make it over to the snitch…she started lazily zooming, looking in the opposite direction of the snitch, drawing no attention to the fact that she knew where the snitch was. She got closer and closer, and finally she was on even ground with Larson. She flew lazily a while longer, just so she had an edge over Larson, and then…she zoomed at top speed. Larson's head whipped around and he, too, high-tailed it to where Rehkop was headed; but Rehkop was too far ahead of Larson for him to even have a chance of catching up; she caught the snitch in her right hand and pumped her fist for everyone to see. The game was over; the score 260 to 90. Harry let out a breath and Ron put his face in his hands.

_"Rehkop's caught the snitch, the game is over! Harpies win, with a score of 260 to 90! WAY TO GO HARPIES!"_

Harry cheered loudly and smiled at Remus, who smiled back. He turned to Ron.

"Oh, be quiet Harry…they only won because of Rehkop anyways, if Larson hadn't been such a git Puddlemere would've won it."

Harry laughed. "Maybe…too bad Larson's a git and your team lost, Ron. That means I get to rub it in for at least a week."

Ron gave him a weak shove. "Yeah, yeah…next time I'm siding with you."

Moony chuckled. "Alright, now let's hustle to a grate before the crowd gets there."

Remus led them through the throng of excited Harpies fans, back to the grates that would take them home. He took out the floo powder and gave a handful to Harry and Ron, and took himself a handful as well, and they floo'ed back to Hogwarts.

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reviews make me update faster! :o


	10. A Furry Little Problem

A New Reality – ParallelTogether

A New Reality – ParallelTogether

Chapter Ten

Sorry updates are so few and far between; it's very hard to get going on this part of the story, when I'm so excited for when Harry's more grown up. I'll try to update more frequently.

"What do you mean, you have business in France and won't be back for a few days? You're always leaving, Moony, and I don't think you're just going to promote werewolf alliances or whatever cock and bull story you want me to believe. What have you really been doing?"

Remus knew it had been a mistake to keep Harry unaware of his transformations, but it had been so much easier to just keep pretending. Though, he should have seen this coming; he had raised Harry to be a bright and curious young man, after all. It was a miracle he hadn't figured it out years ago.

He said quietly, "I think it would be best if we took this to Dumbledore's office, Harry."

Harry seethed with anger. He had known for a long while now that Remus was not telling him the full truth; he always disappeared every month or so, for a few days, and coming back looking like the living dead. He'd done this so many times, and with so many ridiculous excuses, that it hadn't taken Harry long to suspect something was amiss. He'd gone through all sorts of theories; was Remus seeing someone? Or selling stolen goods? Maybe he had a secret job as an assassin? He knew these theories were ridiculous, though, and so, after about six months of heavy thought, he confronted his guardian in a bout of anger. It frustrated him to no end that Remus wasn't being honest with him; he wasn't stupid for his age; in fact, he was quite clever. So why didn't Remus trust him with what he was doing?

Remus passed him the jar of floo powder, and he took it with a frown. Now he was concerned; what was so important that it had to be discussed in Dumbledore's office? His stomach jolted, and his mind gave way for a second to the idea that Remus actually _was_ an assassin. He shook his head lightly, and threw the floo into the grate, stepping in and shouting 'Hogwarts Castle – Headmaster's Office!' He started to spin and instantly felt the nausea that came with this type of travel.

He stepped out of the grate and into the office – rather clumsily – and saw Dumbledore, looking positively serene, sitting behind his desk in his cozy high-backed chair. He sat before the headmaster and waited for Remus.

It didn't take long; after all, they were floo'ing within the same building. Remus popped out – much more gracefully than Harry had – from the grate and took his place in the chair to the right of Harry's. Dumbledore folded his hands before him and smiled.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Remus?"

Remus fiddled with the edge of his cloak, making Harry frown; he only did this when he was exceptionally nervous. "He figured it out, Dumbledore. He figured it out."

Harry's eyes widened. Was there really something going on here? He hoped to all the gods that his theories hadn't been correct. "What do you mean I figured it out? What did I figure out?"

Dumbledore nodded; he stood and grabbed a large tome from one of his many bookcases, taking it down and setting in on his desk. Harry read the title – "A Witch and Wizard's Guide to Werewolves – Trinity Henriguez". His confusion deepened.

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "What do you know about werewolves?"

Harry frowned. "They are regular human beings except for on the full moon, when they turn into a werewolf, retaining no control over their wolf desires and instincts."

Remus sighed; Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "And what is your opinion of these beings?"

Harry's frown deepened. What did this have to do with anything? Was Remus part of a werewolf protection league or something?

"They're just like us, sir, except on full moons. I really don't see why-"

"So you're saying you have no opposition to these people?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't; unless they're changed and ripping my throat out, of course."

Remus grimaced.

"Harry, do you know the telltale signs of a werewolf?"

"I suppose. They're often sickly and scratched of course, from their transformations…they age much faster than normal people because of the stress the change puts on their bodies. And…and they're often...often making odd excuses for being gone…"

Harry's stomach dropped. Was Remus a werewolf? Was that what Dumbledore was trying to tell him?

"You don't…he's not…I mean…He's never…"

Dumbledore steepled his fingers. "Tell me, Harry. Have you noticed over the years how Remus has often been rushing off to meet appointments? Or see supposedly old friends? Or how he comes back each time looking much worse than when he left?"

Harry felt like vomiting. He glanced at Remus; the man was sitting with his face in his hands, not looking at Dumbledore or himself. Was this really happening?

"Are you telling me Remus is a…is a _werewolf?_"

Remus's head snapped up so fast Harry thought it just might pop off; he looked at Harry with a desperate pleading in his eyes. "Believe me, Harry, when I say that I have always, always wanted to tell you. I've just…I am just so afraid, so deeply and utterly afraid, of what you'd think of me once you knew the truth. I'm so, so sorry…Harry, please, forgive me. I-"

Harry shook his head. "You think I would be _angry_ with you for being a werewolf? For something you have no control over? Just how ignorant do you believe me to be? I'm angrier with the fact that you've been lying to me for almost five years now. Why did you think you couldn't tell me?"

Remus's jaw had dropped. "I…Harry, hatred of werewolves is deeply rooted into all societies, but especially the magical one. I didn't think you were ignorant or anything like that, I just…I was afraid you would want to leave, to go back to the Dursleys, once you knew the truth, and I- I couldn't have handled that."

Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes landed on Harry, and he felt as if his soul was laid bare. Of course he had no problem with Remus being a werewolf; how inconsiderate and foolish would that have been? He loved Moony more than anything in the world, and the man had taken so much care for Harry not to be around his furred counterpart that the boy hadn't even _known. _He felt embarrassed and ashamed that he hadn't figured it out sooner.

"I'm sorry, Remus," he said quietly. "I should have known you would never keep something from me that would hurt me. Forgive me?"

"Remus shook his head profusely. "No, Harry…why would you think you need to be forgiven? I should've told you sooner, I should've set you down and let you ease into this instead of having you figure it out by yourself. I'm so sorry, Harry."

Dumbledore stood, clasping Harry and Remus on the back, and setting his book back on it's shelf. "You see, Remus? I knew he'd have no qualms about it." His eyes twinkled merrily. "And now, I say we get Remus settled for his transformation. I daresay we'll have an easier time of it now."

Harry let Remus take him into a fierce hug. "No more secrets, cub," Remus whispered, "I promise, no more secrets."

Harry nodded into the older man's shoulder and let him lead the trio through the door and down the spiral staircase. "So…where do we go from here?"

By seven that night, everything was set for Remus's transformation. His guardian had taken his Wolfsbane (a potion that allows its werewolf drinker to keep his or her mind during the werewolf stage), prepared his body by stretching and exercising (to make the wolf tired out so that he could, hopefully, sleep through the whole thing), and set him in the shrieking shack, a place that was supposedly haunted. Harry felt incredibly stupid, realizing that he had been oblivious to the fact that Remus had stayed relatively within school grounds every time he left to go on one of him many excused absences. Dumbledore let him stay in his guest quarters, to make sure Harry was not all by himself with his concerns for his guardian.

The night went by incredibly slow; he and Dumbledore watched through the Office window as the full moon rose up in the night sky; Harry could've sworn he heard a distant howl, but then put it off as his imagination. He shivered. Remus was changing this very moment, and there was nothing Harry could do to help him.

Harry sat with the headmaster for almost half an hour, before the elder wizard tapped him on the shoulded. "Harry, I believe it is time to get some rest. We shall go see our dear friend in the morning; right now, all we can do is dream."

So the two went their separate ways and slept away the rest of the night.

Remus sat on the broken, torn sofa in the shrieking shack, bracing himself for his transformation. He thought about Harry, as he did every time he sat in this sad, dilapidated building, and wondered, not for the first time, what Harry was thinking. He supposed it was about him tonight; this morning's revelation had been a shock, to say the least. Remus hadn't thought the boy would figure it out until well into his school years, but he had been wrong. Harry was clever; he shouldn't have been surprised.

The moon started to peek above the night's clouds, and Remus flinched. The wolf inside of him was clawing at his insides, desperate to get out for the night and roam the countryside. The Wolfsbane potion helped considerably, but not enough to completely subdue the wolf; it was still an aching madness inside of him, just not as terrible and deep as it was meant to be.

Remus first felt his arms and legs stretch out; the familiar pain was no less hard to bear than it was his first change, but Remus beared it much better. Next was his torso, and then his feet, and finally his face; the fur started to sprout up, and Remus felt his vision change from human to wolf-like. His nose turned wet and he could smell the hours-old stench of Albus Dumbledore, who had sat on the couch next to him, and his charge Harry Potter, still stinking up the armchair. He let out a whine; his voice had gone, replaced with his animalistic growls and whines. The smell of his cub evoked an aching hole inside him, and he longed to run up to the castle and take him away with him. He fought the thought of that; he didn't want to think of Harry before he changed, for it would only be a harder night if he did. Instead, his last human thought was that of the book Dumbledore had shown Harry, and how he would ask Dumbledore when he got back if he could read it. And then, he was gone.

Harry awoke to sunlight streaming through a large window, right upon his face. He grunted and slipped out of bed, confusion sprouting as he realized he was not in his own room. Then he remembered; he was in Dumbledore's guest room, and Remus was down in the Shrieking Shack, and he's…

He's a werewolf.

Harry shook his head in wonderment at his own stupidity. How had he not seen the signs? Remus was always sickly and pale, and was always leaving…he always told Harry the second he started to smell, or when something on his person looked the tiniest bit out of place. And when Remus got angry, he was almost _primal_, in a way that Harry had always thought frightening. He was glad his guardian was so even-tempered.

He stepped out of the Headmaster's Guest Room and into the attatched bathroom, taking a quick shower before going down to greet the (hopefully awake) headmaster. He wasn't disappointed; Dumbledore was sitting in his special common room, sipping on Earl Grey and looking as though he was waiting for Harry to come down to see him.

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. His eyes twinkled merrily. "You've slept well, I trust?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. "Thank you for letting me stay in your rooms."

Dumbledore waved the thanks away. "You know you're welcome here any time, Harry. I'm afraid, though, you might have to stay here a while longer; Remus usually sleeps almost the whole day after his transformations, you see. He tells me they are a bit tiring."

Harry choked out a laugh.

"Now, my dear boy," Dumbledore said. "What would you like to do today? It is summer, after all, and growing boys such as yourself hardly ever wish to stay inside. What do you say to a day in Hogsmeade, my treat?"

Harry brightened instantly. "Well, if it's not too much trouble on yourself, sir, that sounds great."

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "No trouble at all, my boy! I've wanted to renew my stock of lemon drops and Bertie Bott's for a couple weeks now, and this outing shall prove to be beneficial to my sweet tooth." He smiled jovially and stood, straightening his silver and neon yellow robes. "Off we go!"

Yaay, finally an update. Haha, I am sorry, I really am. I'll try to get back on the stick. I just have so much planned for later on that it's hard to get psyched about this part of the story. Please review, thanks!


	11. authors note! please read!

**AUTHORS NOTE : THIS STORY HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY AN AUTHOR NAMED ANGELAUTHOR14. YOU CAN FIND HER STORIES AT .net/~angelauthor14.**

**AS OF YET THE STORY HAS NOT BEEN REPOSTED, BUT I MYSELF LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT ANGELAUTHOR14 DOES WITH THE STORYLINE. :) GOOD LUCK GIRL! **

**-Ledea Medea**


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